I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Instacart (San Francisco, CA) in Jun 2014
Interview
First I had a phone screen to ensure what I was looking for was what they were looking for. Then I had an analytical case where I had to build and explain a mode. Next I had an in-person interview which was another analytical challenge, but more whiteboarding. It included a data scientist and the hiring manager, who seemed great to work with. Lastly I chatted with the CEO who was friendly and down-to-earth.
4
Other Data Scientist interview reviews for Instacart
Faced a deep technical challenge during the interview, asked to design a personalization algorithm for product recommendations. I walked them through feature engineering and model choices, which stressed me out initially. Luckily, I realized the structure was almost identical to a problem I had explored on prachub.com while prepping. The interview progressed through a behavioral round where they focused on my previous experiences, and I ultimately received an offer, but decided to decline after careful consideration. Overall, it was intense but rewarding.
It was pretty straightforward. HR and then technicals. The technicals were a mix of statistics and math questions. Overall, it moved pretty quickly. My interviewer was quite late with no apology and in general not very friendly. I knew someone interviewing at the same time and they had a much better experience and recieved the same questions.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Suppose we wanted to launch 15-minute deliveries in a specific area where we already deliver. How would you statistically test the results?